The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports from distracted driving. Of those killed in distracted driving related crashes, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). Drivers who use hand held devices are four times likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. Studies done by the University of Utah state that using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand held or hands free, delay a driver’s reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.

Upon completion of this learning event, the Learner will be able to identify the common causes of hazardous driver distractions and methods for minimizing or eliminating them. This course covers the risks and consequences of distracted driving, including talking on the phone, texting, and others. This course could be used as part of a company's driver safety program and goes along with "OSHA's Distracted Driver Initiative"

Relevant Standards: OSHA General Duty Clause 5(a)(1) of the OSHA Act

• Linear Duration/min: 00:22:00
• Origin Date: 01/08
• Last Update: 09/08
• Complexity/Difficulty: Level I (very easy)
• Interactivity: Level II
• Supervising SME: Laura Belden
• Prerequisites: None

Competencies:

To successfully complete this course, the Learner will demonstrate the ability to:

• DRV 2.1.0 Recognize the course’s objectives
• DRV 2.2.0 Recognize causes of driver distraction
• DRV 2.3.0 Recognize appropriate protective measures for drivers